Protesters outside National Theatre in Sofia try to stop premiere of George Bernard Shaw comedy 'Arms and the Man'

The premiere of the play "Arms and the Man", based on a text by Bernard Shaw and staged by John Malkovich, became another platform for division in society - not anywhere, but in the cultural heart of Bulgaria - the National Theatre 'Ivan Vazov'.

Disgruntled members of the public on November 7 staged a protest because they believe that Bernard Shaw's text undermines Bulgaria's dignity. The action in the play takes place in Bulgaria in ther period after the 1885 Battle of Slivnitsa during the Serbo-Bulgarian War.

After the tension and the attempted storming of the theatre, the audience was asked to leave, and about 50 people remained in the hall - mainly journalists.

The director of the theatre, Vasil Vassilev, asked them to film the performance so that there would be no censorship and everyone could evaluate it for themselves.

Tensions ran high in front of the National Theatre, with chants of "resign" and calls for no anti-Bulgarian plays to be presented at the National Theatre. There were also representatives of political parties among the protesters.

The director tried to meet the protesters who literally tried to storm the building of the National Theatre. There were reports that people bought tickets for the show even though they didn't like it, but with the idea of getting in.

"We don't have any differences with the people who will be in front. The only difference with them is that they do not know the text, they have not read the play and we do not allow censorship to be imposed in our country," explained the director of the National Theatre, Vasil Vassilev.

"Bulgarian national psychology should also be taken into account, in this case a little more tact towards Bulgarian history and when such performances are played," a protester said.

Earlier in the day, a statement from the European Theatre Convention was released.

We must recognize the severity of this situation. In a democratic European state, there should be no tolerance for such censorship and intimidation. This is a defining moment for Europe to take a stand and reject the dangerous rise of ultra-nationalistic movements that seek to silence creative voices and dismantle our cultural foundations, the theatre said in a position paper.

The position to the European partners also states that “we at the theatre are resolute in our commitment to defending artistic freedom, but we cannot do this alone. We urgently call on our European allies to stand with us, to protect the autonomy of art, and to champion freedom of expression, to ensure that the voice of creativity remains strong against those who would silence it.

European Theatre Convention calls on European citizens and policymakers to stand in solidarity with the National Theatre Ivan Vazovna and to put the spotlight on the increasing restrictions of freedom of expression in a European context, following the third edition of our European Theatre Talks: 'Free Culture: Resisting Political Interference.'